Mary Kay Thatcher, Senior Manager of Federal Government and Industry Relations for Syngenta, provided her perspective on the “churn of the election” during the company’s media summit this week. She does expect the presidential outcome to drag on for a while, but during her presentation, Thatcher used the assumption of a Biden presidency for her outlook. In the biofuels space, …
MN Governor’s Biofuels Council Recommends LCFS
The Minnesota Governor’s Council on Biofuels this week released its consensus report on the steps needed to grow Minnesota’s biofuels industry and get the state back on track to meet renewable energy goals, including a plan for the adoption of a Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS). In the report to Gov. Tim Walz, the council recommends “a low-carbon fuel standard …
Iowa Groups Ask Candidates to Oppose EV Legislation
The Iowa Biodiesel Board (IBB) and Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) are asking all candidates in Iowa running for federal office to take a stand against the Zero-Emission Vehicles Act of 2020 recently introduced in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. IBB and IRFA says the legislation would restrict the sale of vehicles that can use biofuels as soon …
National Labs Find Sugars Key for Biofuels Feedstocks
Researchers are finding that sugar content is as important as size when it comes to producing biofuels from woody biomass. Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), have been studying the size and growth rate of trees, as well as the amount of sugars that can be produced from …
Ethanol Remains Top Priority with New NCGA President
It’s a new year for the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) with new president John Linder of Edison, Ohio who took over the post on October 1. Linder, along with his brother, Mike, and wife, Cheryl, run a fifth-generation farm raising corn, soybeans, soft red winter wheat and soybeans for seed in central Ohio. In addition to traditional row crop …
EPA to Deny Gap-Year Refinery Waivers
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced it is denying petitions for small refinery exemptions for past compliance years, the so-called “gap-filling” petitions for the 2011-18 compliance years. “This decision follows President Trump’s promise to promote domestic biofuel production, support our nation’s farmers, and in turn strengthen our energy independence,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “At the EPA, we …
Biden Attacks Trump on RFS Support
Democratic president candidate Joe Biden released a statement this week attacking President Donald Trump over his record on renewable fuels. “Instead of standing with those who till our land and sow our fields, we have a president who has sold out our farmers by undercutting the Renewable Fuel Standard with the granting of waivers to Big Oil,” said Biden in …
Biodiesel Ads Urge President to Reject “Gap” SRE Petitions
The National Biodiesel Board has launched a radio advertising campaign in six Midwestern states, urging President Donald Trump to keep his promise on the Renewable Fuel Standard. The ads will run for two weeks in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. The 30-second ads say, “EPA is threatening to grant more big oil handouts this year that reduce biodiesel …
Iowa Governor Allocates $100 Million for Agriculture Relief
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has allocated approximately $100 million of federal CARES Act relief funds for a range of agricultural programs to offset the impact of COVID-19 on farmers, producers and agricultural industries. “Iowa is at the foundation of our global food supply chain and the epicenter of the renewable fuels industry,” said Gov. Reynolds. “COVID-19 and a devastating derecho …
Mustard Family Plant Could Make Biofuel
Scientists at USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) are studying a plant in the mustard family as a source for making butanol. It’s scientific name is Lesquerella, but it is often called Fendler’s bladderpod and Yellow Top, a plant native to the U.S. Southwest. Butanol is a cleaner-burning alternative to gasoline that was produced worldwide until after World War II, when …